G-Body Bumpsteer ....again

[tiek1011]

I know I'm beating a dead horse with this but.... Has anyone used the Howe adjustable center link to correct the bump steer problem with the B-Body spindle swap? I'm not sure how much adjustment there is with this link but instead of raising the rod end at the spindle couldn't it be lowered at the center link to accomplish the same thing? ...I have to think Marcus at SC&C would have looked at this option. Maybe he'll comment.

[Marcus SC&C]

Yes,we`ve used them before. There are 4 main reasons which prevent us from using them as a regular fix.
1) Their bushing ends aren`t sealed in any way and won`t hold up long term on the street. We used them on race cars that have an intense service schedule.
2) They don`t have enough vertical adjustment to correct the bumpsteer to the needed degree. They could make it better but not best.
3) When lowered they hit the front part of the factory crossmember. It would need to be cut off or notched and you wouldn`t be able to use our HD Chassis brace or even factory F41 bars which really help the rigidity of the chassis.
4) We can fix the bumpsteer much better with our tall lower ball joints and gain suspension geometry benefits as well,killing 2 birds with one stone and leave all the steering linkage alone. Then if you can pick up all the steering consumable parts at any local auto parts store if you need to. Mark SC&C

[DAK]

Bumpsteer on g-bodys with tall spindles can be reduced with some fabrication. Amount of drop will depend on the spindle and the amount of caster. I did have the convenience of using an alignment rack to check and correct toe change throughout the suspen travel by raising and lowering the inner tierod before I completely welded it solid.

[tiek1011]

DAK, I read some posts, either here or somewhere else, I can't remember, about your modification. That's what inspired me to look for an adjustable center link. I assume you don't have any clearance issues? Have you been able to get all of the bumpsteer out? …just a thought, does the tie rod have to mount from the rear as the in the stock configuration or would it work if the mount was horizontal and you used a heim on the end of the tie rod and would be able to adjust the inner end up or down as needed? And lastly, could you tell me the measurement from the original location to the new location? Thanks for the help and input.

[DAK]

No clearance issues. I got toe change down to the minimum. From where the inner is located know .010 lower the wheels toe out. .010 higher they toe in. As for the amount of drop it depends. I know a guy that mentioned .62" lower helped. When I had 11" spindles on my car I had the inner dropped about 1". I never did measure for any toe change but my car drove with no more hint of bumpsteer. Last spring I swapped to 12" spindle from an Astro van(required a lower balljoint sleeve). Bumpsteer was back and worse than when I swapped to 11" spindles. I then cut the mounts off the draglink and moved the inner down 1.375". No hint of bumpsteer.
So the amount of inner tierod drop depends on the setup. Theres no specific amount of drop thats ideal. This guy has done the adj heim joint.

http://jeffd.50megs.com/bump_steer_mods_page.htm

[tiek1011]

This guy has done the adj heim joint.

That is just what I was talking about. I think I'll give this a try. Thanks for the help!